why am i here…by age

Just finished hosting a training certification program for Purpose and Vision Navigators from June 4-6, 2014 at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. What an eclectic group of people – as young as 19 and as old as 62 – all gathered together to learn teaching and coaching strategies to integrate purpose and vision as a part of student success. As a result, the world now has the first class of 38 Purpose and Vision Navigators, ready to change the world!

One thing that I learned from the experience, as the facilitator and host, is that it seems this “purpose” question seems to be different as we age. Here’s how I see it:

From birth to about 24 years old, the purpose question is: What should I do with my life?

From 24 years to about 49 years old, the purpose question becomes: What am I REALLY here to do?

Then, from 50 and beyond, the purpose question becomes: What should I do with the REST of my life?

I’ve shared this “theory” with several people and most seem to agree with this. I remember being at the University of Delaware, pondering as an undergraduate and graduate student, what I should be doing with my life. Prolonging school made it easier to wait to decide. The answer didn’t come until my second year in a doctorate program, when I realized that I want to help students be successful in college. During my 30’s and 40’s, I performed my job well, but always thought there was something missing. When I turned 50 last year, I asked myself, “What’s the impact I want to make in the world (more specifically, in higher education)?” And needless to say, it’s to help EVERY student find a path in life that based on purpose, then create a vision of the future around that purpose. Hence, the creation of the Purpose and Vision Navigator Certification Training Program.

So, what about you? Which question best fits where you’re at in your life right now?